Ukrainian President wishes Trump success in his negotiations with Putin

Wednesday, July 11, 2018 7:54:00 PM

President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko wished the President of the United States, Donald Trump success in negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which will take place in Helsinki on July 16. In his article for Financial Times, Poroshenko stated that the “nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine” approach was agreed.

“This is a significant week for Ukraine as it faces substantial challenges to its security and stability. It started with Monday’s Ukraine-EU summit in Brussels, followed by the Nato summit, in which Ukraine will also participate. And the meeting next week in Helsinki between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin will confirm that Ukraine is on the frontline of European and transatlantic politics”. Poroshenko wrote.

“Based on our agreed approach of doing nothing on Ukraine without Ukraine, I wish Mr Trump well in his efforts to bring Mr Putin back into line,” the President of Ukraine said.

That meeting between presidents Trump and Putin will take place on the 28th anniversary of the Ukrainian parliament’s declaration of state sovereignty, a move that began Ukraine’s journey towards independence.

The challenges the country faces are immense, says the President, adding that this is not the time to ease up the pressure on Russia. "To do so would be a confession of weakness," he wrote. Instead, he believes it should be made clear "that the values and principles of the free world will not be compromised." "I will continue to defend this cause and Ukraine’s interests, insisting that territories occupied by Russia must be returned", he wrote.

Poroshenko also stressed "there is nothing the Kremlin fears more than our unity and resolve," noting that complete integration of Ukraine into the European and transatlantic systems "is the biggest threat to Russian aggression."

The president's ambition, therefore, as he puts it, "is to translate Ukraine’s European aspirations into deeper alliances with the EU, starting with the digital market, customs co-operation and energy solidarity," including a "commitment from European capitals to take part" in the restoration of war-torn cities in Donbas.

Poroshenko also continues to insist on the fundamental role of peacekeeping forces in the separatist-held territories of the Donbas.

Reuters recently revealed the six main topics of the meeting of Trump and Putin: arms race, sanctions, the war in Syria, the diplomatic conflict with the Russian Federation, build-up of forces in the Eastern Europe and also aggression against Ukraine. The issue of the annexation of the Crimea is not on the agenda.

Trump repeatedly expressed his interest in the restoration of Putin’s positions on the world stage. Recently he advocated for the return of Russia to the to the Group of Eight. The US President noted that if he had a private conversation with Putin at the G7 Summit, he would certainly ask him “to get out of” Ukraine and Syria.